Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever in Russia and other countries of the former Soviet Union

Abstract

In the Compendium of the Sheikh of Khorezm by Dzhurzhoni in the 12th century, written in the Tajik language, the physician Zayn ad-Din abu Ibrahim Ismacil ibn Muhamad al-Husayini al-Jurjani described a hemorrhagic disease, now considered to have been Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF), from the area that is presently Tajikistan [29]. The signs were presence of blood in the urine, rectum, gums, vomit, sputum, and abdominal cavity. The arthropod causing the disease was said to be tough, small, related to a louse or tick, and normally parasitizing a blackbird. Treatment that was sometimes ineffectual was application of bodzkhar and essence of red sandalwood at the site of the bite and feeding the patient fresh goat milk together with butter, khot'ma flowers (Malvaceae) and leaves or essence of khovre and essence of flax seeds, chicory, and gourd.